Another travel post, are you excited? This weekend I took a trip to Philadelphia, and viewed all the Christmas cheer. Markets, trees, ice skating, lights and more are all around the city making it a great holiday trip. I wanted to share my itinerary with you along with a few photos. Enjoy! (note: if you are viewing this post on your phone, it might be VERY long with all the photos, so I recommend using a computer).

Day 1

We arrived in Philly around lunch time, and decided it was perfect timing to get the famous Philly Cheesesteaks. Jim's Steaks was recommended to us, and when we arrived was relatively quiet. We ordered one with cheese wiz and one with provolone cheese to share. The sandwich was pretty good, and I surprisingly preferred the classic cheese wiz over provolone, because it added more moisture to the sandwich, as it was relatively dry for my taste. While exiting, we noticed some people who had purchased pizza from a local shop were wrapping it around the sandwich. Apparently it's a thing, so if you plan on going, look it up to see if you want to try it.

Our next stop was to check in our hotel, Le Meridien and take a walk around. The hotel was in the middle of everything, and you could walk pretty much anywhere. We stopped by Macy's and stood in line for over an hour to view the Dickens Village and after caught the light show in the store. Overall, it was very impressive for Macy's, the village was incredibly detailed, transporting you straight into the world of a Christmas Carol.

Next, we took a walk over to the Reading Terminal Market and walked around, looking at all the fresh produce and meats. Looked like a great place to stop and grab something to eat, although we were saving room for food later.

After, we headed to the Christmas Village, which if you have ever experienced before, is very similar to those in Europe. I have visited a lot of Christmas markets, from New York to Vancouver, and this was by far the best one I have visited besides European ones. Traditional wooden booths and lights set the atmosphere, and there was a giant tree in the middle. They sold gluhwein, pretzels, bratwurst, cheeses, crafts, and more. We came across a stand selling Austrian strudels, and I had to stop to get one. Needless to say, it was amazing.

Dinner was at the Brauhaus Schmitz for traditional German cuisine. Let me tell you, it had been a really long time since I had German food, and I was in love. We got a sausage plate to share with sides of spatzle and potato dumplings. The food was outstanding, and a must visit if you appreciate German food as much as I do.

Day 2

We started off the day with brunch at wetstone tavern, and I shared the Huevos Rancheros and Eggs Benedict. Although I do not have any photos, I can tell you that it was simple and the eggs were cooked to perfection. After breakfast, my brother requested hot chocolate so we did some quick research and took a walk to a cafe. We ended up at the Rim Cafe which didn't look impressive on the outside, but the inside was quite welcoming. We each ordered a hot chocolate ( I got peanut butter!) and some cannolis to share. While waiting, we looked all over the walls in ceiling, which were covered with photos, maps, and posters.

On the way back to the car, we walked though the streets of the Italian Market, which was filled with fresh produce and what seemed like dozens of meat shops. We also came across Philadelphia's Magical Gardens, which was a plot of land turned into one giant mosaic. Even if you are not a big fan of art, this is a great place to check out because you walk around surrounded by it.. Walking up and down around Isaiah Zagar's secret garden was magical, and a great conclusion to our trip.

I hope you enjoyed this week's long post, and that it gave you some inspiration for you holiday travel bucket list. I will not be able to post next week, but I hope you all have a great week, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!​xx Hanna